What If Global Trade Stopped Tomorrow

What if every country stopped trading with the rest of the world — tomorrow? No imports. No exports. Everything already inside the country stays: the farms, the factories, the fuel in the tanks. But from now on, anything you need… you have to produce yourself.

In this thought experiment we look at eight economies and eight very different weak spots: the United States, the European Union, China, Russia, Brazil, Japan, India and Singapore. Some run short of fuel, fertilizer or spare parts, some of food — and some suddenly can't sell what they used to export.

The surprising part: a country can have enough food and enough energy… and still struggle to keep everyday life running. Because the problem isn't just the things a country imports. It's the things it makes… using imports.